1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio signal processing apparatus and an audio signal processing method, and more particularly to an audio signal processing apparatus and an audio signal processing method of selectively outputting audio signals respectively processed by audio signal processing units to an exterior device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up until now, there have been proposed a wide variety of conventional audio signal processing apparatuses available for, for example, a digital signal processor to be assembled in various kinds of audio-visual apparatuses for the purpose of being simple in construction and downsized, and inexpensive in production cost.
One typical example of the conventional audio signal processing apparatus of this type is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open Publication No. S63-236099 and shown in FIG. 10. The conventional audio signal processing apparatus 900 is shown in FIG. 10 as comprising an input terminal 901 having an audio signal inputted therein, first audio signal processing means 910 for processing the audio signal received from the input terminal 901, second audio signal processing means 920 for processing the audio signal received from the input terminal 901, and an output terminal 902 having the audio signal outputted therethrough.
The conventional audio signal processing apparatus 900 further comprises first switching means 921 for having the audio signal selectively received by the first and second audio signal processing means 910 and 920, second switching means 922 for selectively receive the audio signals respectively processed by the first and second audio signal processing means 910 and 920, and third switching unit 940 for selectively receive the audio signal processed by any one of the first and second audio signal processing means 910 and 920 and the audio signal not processed by any one of the first and second audio signal processing means 910 and 920.
The conventional audio signal processing apparatus 900 constructed as previously mentioned, however, encounters such a problem that the audio signal to be outputted to the exterior device is instantaneously interrupted when the audio signal to be outputted to the exterior device is switched from the audio signal processed by one of the first and second audio signal processing units 910 and 920 to the audio signal processed by the other of the first and second audio signal processing units 910 and 920.